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Cold Stove Coming

Carlos Zambrano and Jermaine Dye signed extensions with their respective Chicago clubs this weekend taking two marquee names off the board for the offseason. Both men would have been the subject of some fearsome bidding when the season came to a close but now general managers around baseball will have to turn their gaze elsewhere to find the solution to their team's problems.

If that need is an outfielder there should be some interesting options on the table. Andruw Jones will be available and has had enough good years that you can look past this season's struggles. There's also Torii Hunter and Japanese phenom Kosuke Fukudome to whet appetites. Adam Dunn might be cut loose by the Reds, Aaron Rowand is a fine player and even Barry Bonds is on the open market, if that's your cup of tea, so don't lose any sleep about Dye.

With Zambrano off the market the pickings are mighty slim if you're looking for a top-flight starter, though. Here's a look at who will (and who could be) free this November, not including the three 300 game winners, each of whom could be a free agent because, unless you're the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Braves or Padres, there's little reason to stitch a jersey with the name Clemens, Maddux or Glavine on the back. Continued reading is not recommended for those with weak stomachs or the appreciation of young starters with a plethora of ability.

Curt Schilling (7-5, 4.25, 112 IP) - Boston made it clear that they won't sign Schilling to an extension this season so Mr. Bloody Sock will have to prove his worth down the stretch if he wants to stay at Fenway. He's been hurt for a lot of the season, will be 41 next April and with Dice-K, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Bucholz, the need for aging hurlers isn't all that great in Beantown. The sometimes blogger has already said he won’t pitch for the Yankees, not that there appears to be a need in the Bronx, but if Maddux doesn’t return perhaps the Padres would be in the market for an aging stallion.

Livan Hernandez (9-7, 4.86, 157IP) - He'll probably win 10 games for the eighth straight season but is a league-average innings eater and little more unless the late Eric Gregg is resurrected to call all of his starts. He'll be 33 when next season starts and has racked up more than 2300 innings in his career but if he closes well and helps Arizona make and go deep in the playoffs he could cash in given the competition.

Jeff Weaver (5-10, 5.57, 107IP) – Those numbers are about as attractive as leprosy but Weaver’s got a 2.78 ERA in August and could help the Mariners make an unexpected trip to the postseason. He’s been declared dead more times than Dick Cheney but his heart keeps beating keeping him at the top of this unseemly class.

Carlos Silva (9-12, 4.17, 158IP) - His walk rate remains very low but so do his strikeouts because opponents regularly smash his pitches into the bleachers. He'll eat away innings at the back of your rotation, won't kill you in the process and likely make around $8 million for the pleasure. Nice work if you can find it.

Jason Jennings (2-8, 6.16, 95IP) - He's had a terrible first season with the Astros but Jennings is still young enough at 29 that some GM will bet on his record with Colorado for at least a one-year, make good contract.

Tim Wakefield (14-10, 4.55, 150IP) - The Sox have an option on the knuckleballer and he's got a better chance of being back in Boston next season than Schilling because he's a better bet to make every start.

Paul Byrd (11-5, 4.41, 143IP) - Another aging starter whose team has an option on him, if Byrd closes quickly it's likely that the Indians will stop him from hitting the market.

Steve Trachsel (6-7, 4.81, 127IP) - Baltimore has an option on the soon-to-be-37-year-old slowdown specialist but will probably buy him out to concentrate on younger options. He'll be in someone's rotation next year because he's experienced and fairly reliable but no one's excited by the prospect.

Randy Wolf (9-6, 4.73, 103IP) - An object lesson in the weakness of this crop of pitchers: Wolf will probably get his $9 million option picked up by the Dodgers despite missing large portions of the last three seasons with elbow problems.

Joel Pineiro (2-1, 2.84, 19IP) – Those are only his numbers since heading to St. Louis and joining the Cardinal rotation. He wasn’t very good in the Boston bullpen and was terrible in his last two seasons with the Mariners but Weaver parlayed a late run with the Redbirds into a contract. Pineiro is poised to do the same thing, especially since his arrival has coincided with the first signs of life for the defending champs.

Freddy Garcia (1-5, 5.90, 58IP) - Made all of 11 starts before landing on the disabled list with shoulder soreness after a 2006 season that looked better than it was because he won 17 times. Has a lot of innings on his arm, gives up a lot of hits and will have to prove his worth on a one-year deal before he gets a better offer.

Jon Lieber (3-6, 4.73, 78IP) - Another star-crossed Phillie righthander, Lieber is 38 next Opening Day and running out of chances.

Kyle Lohse (7-12, 4.61, 152IP) – The guy the Phillies picked up to replace the two pitchers listed above has never put together a season that matches his talent. He’s only going to be 29, though, and if he finds his way to a more forgiving ballpark, Cincinnati and Philadelphia aren’t kind to homer-prone hurlers; Lohse could actually turn that around.

Josh Fogg (7-8, 4.82, 125IP) - Fogg is having his best season at 30 but his miniscule strikeout rate and poor track record don't bode well for the team that hands him a multi-year deal in the offseason.

Odalis Perez (8-11, 5.57, 137IP) - The Royals can bring him back next season, they've certainly suffered worse performances in recent years, and might because the Dodgers are still paying some of his salary. As bad as he's been this year, he's a lefty and an experienced one which means Odalis will get a chance in K.C. or elsewhere in 2008.

Rodrigo Lopez (5-4, 4.42, 79IP) - Any bet on Lopez regaining the form that won him 15 games with Baltimore in 2005 will also be a bet that he can make a return from a torn tendon in his right arm.

Bartolo Colon (6-6, 6.72, 86IP) - Bad shape, bad arm and bad performance represent a trifecta of red flags around the former Cy Young winner. One hopes he finds work, if only so we can snicker at Colon related headlines for one more season at least.

Kip Wells (6-13, 5.24, 132IP) – Many observers scratched their heads when the Cardinals signed Wells to fill out their rotation last winter. That means their scalps had 12 months to heal before someone else makes the same mistake.

Jamey Wright (3-5, 4.11, 50IP) – There’s an old baseball saying that goes if you can’t hold a rotation spot in Texas you can’t hold one anywhere. Wright can’t hold a spot in Texas.

Brett Tomko (2-10, 5.67, 100IP) - Tomko's return to the rotation has coincided with the departure of the Dodgers from the NL West race.

Shawn Chacon (4-3, 4.32, 83IP) – Hasn’t even been in the rotation for the Pirates this season and other than two months with the Yankees in 2005 has nothing to recommend him to potential employers as a starter.

Kenny Rogers (3-2, 5.23, 33IP) - On the disabled list with a bad left elbow after suffering a blood clot in the spring, Rogers seems destined to head back to the ranch.

Tony Armas (2-3, 6.58, 64IP) – He’s won two of his last three starts so may be poised for a quick finish but would need to throw three or four no-hitters to fool anyone into thinking he’s a quality choice for their rotation.

Kris Benson - The Orioles have a team option on the injured and henpecked husband of Anna though they'd be wise to pass on the chance to exercise it.